Stakeholders in Abakaliki have expressed divergent views on the proposal for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct all national elections in one day.
The stakeholders spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent on Tuesday in Abakaliki.
They contended that holding all elections on one day including – presidential, national assembly, governorship and state assembly on the same day could reduce undue political influence and ensure a more level playing field.
According to them, the current staggered election format encourages a bandwagon effect, where the outcome of the presidential election influences subsequent elections.
Mr Paschal Ogbu, a legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, said the idea of a single-day election was not only feasible but desirable.
The legal expert contended that staggered elections undermined the democratic choice of the people at the grassroots level, stressing that the electorate were usually influenced by the outcome of the presidential election.
“When presidential elections are held first, there is often a bandwagon effect that influences how people vote in subsequent elections; this undermines the democratic choice of the people especially, at the grassroots level.
“Conducting all elections in one day will also help reduce the overall cost of logistics, deployment of personnel and security arrangements,” Ogbu said.
Mrs Chioma Nwali, Coordinator of a women-led civil society group, Gender Perspectives (GP), also supported the proposal, describing staggered elections as wasteful and prone to voter fatigue.
She called on INEC to consider the conduct of the 2027 general elections in a single day to stem the negative bandwagon that usually follow after the emergence of the president-elect.
“It makes sense economically and administratively to hold all the elections on the same day. It will encourage higher voter turnout and save the country billions of naira,” she said.
Chief Ephraim Oketa, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), in Izzi Local Government Area urged the electoral body to revert to the 1999 model where all national elections were held in a single day to make the election outcome more credible and acceptable to the people.
“The outcome of the presidential election in a staggered election usually determine and influence the outcome of the other layers of the election and this is not healthy for our evolving democracy.”
However, others raised concerns about the logistics and security implications of holding elections nationwide in a single day.
Mr Sunday Ali, a retired INEC official, cautioned that while the proposal has its advantages, the country’s electoral infrastructure might not yet be ready for such a complex operation.
“INEC will need to massively upgrade its logistics and manpower capacity; the volume of materials, the number of personnel to be deployed and the management of results will require a higher level of preparedness,” Ali said.
He further noted that conducting simultaneous elections could increase the risk of technical failures and possible violence due to overstretched security agencies.
Dr Eugene Otuu, a university lecturer in Political Science, said staggered elections, though not perfect, offered some administrative flexibility and reduced systemic shocks.
He argued that instead of calling for all national elections to hold in one day, that focus should be on how to get INEC to improve and adopt more credible approach to deliver credible, free and transparent elections.
“Rather than holding all elections on one day, INEC should focus on improving credibility, efficiency and transparency in the conduct of elections at all levels,” Otuu said.
Meanwhile, some political actors argued that the political class may resist such a reform due to vested interests in the status quo.
A former member of the Ebonyi State Assembly who pleaded anonymity, said politicians often take advantage of the staggered arrangement to align with winning parties after presidential results were declared.
“This is part of the political strategy for survival; changing the sequence will require a major amendment of the Electoral Act and could face stiff opposition in the National Assembly,” the source said.
Our correspondent reports that Nigeria currently conducts its general elections in two phases, presidential and national assembly elections first, followed two weeks later by governorship and state assembly polls.
The 2023 elections followed this pattern, sparking fresh debates among electoral stakeholders, civil society groups and policymakers over the need to restructure the electoral calendar for fairness and cost-efficiency.
Our correspondent further reports that INEC is yet to make an official statement on whether it is considering merging the election dates ahead of the 2027 polls. ENDS/)
